Nurse Case Manager
Salary

Most Nurse Case Managers in the United States are women. The workforce as a whole earns a median of approximately $66K annually. The income range spans the entire spectrum between $50K and $85K per year. In the world of Nurse Case Managers, total cash compensation can vary between $50K and $85K. Each package generally includes bonuses and profit sharing proceeds, and in exceptional cases, those amounts can reach heights of $5K and $5K, respectively. Earnings for this group are mostly affected by the specific employer, followed by geography and years of experience. Medical benefits are awarded to most, and a strong majority earn dental coverage. Job satisfaction for Nurse Case Managers is high. The data for this snapshot was collected from individuals who took PayScale's salary survey.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

The nurse case manager should work with patients and their providers to determine what sort of care is needed. It is also important to communicate with the health insurance company of the patient, in order to determine eligibility for certain treatments or programs. Each case should be looked at individually and reviewed in order to determine if changes need to be made. Also, it may be part of the job to help the patient acquire health services. In some settings, the nurse case manager will personally perform exams and evaluations on the patient. In creating a plan, patient ability and needs need to be considered. Within the plan, the nurse may include treatment methods, medication, nutrition, and exercises that need to be carried out by the patient.

Some jobs require a minimum of an associate’s degree in nursing, while others will require a registered nurse degree. A nurse case manager will be expected to have had practical, clinical experience. A valid nursing or registered nurse license is required. The nurse case manager should be proficient and comfortable with using a computer, as research, communication, and data entry will have to be performed.

Nurse Case Manager Tasks

Provide utilization management for assigned patient case load.

Conduct admissions and discharge planning for hospital, hospice or home care patients.

Assess patient needs and develop a care plan.

Common Career Paths for Nurse Case Manager

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Nurse Case Managers who transition into a Director of Case Management role may receive large pay increases as the latter position pays an average $85K per year. Becoming an Utilization Review Registered Nurse is, more often than not, the most common role that Nurse Case Managers move into when they're ready for the next step in their career. A median salary for an Utilization Review Registered Nurse is $62K. Another frequent advance is for Nurse Case Managers to assume a Clinical Nurse Manager role; in this role, workers often take home $72K.

Nurse Case Manager Job Listings

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Popular Employer Salaries for Nurse Case Manager

Dominating the field, Aetna, Inc., UnitedHealth Group, Humana, Inc., United Healthcare Group, and WellPoint, Inc. are top firms with a reputation for hiring a great number of Nurse Case Managers. Genex Services Incorporated does shell out the biggest paychecks — the median in that office is $75K — but the company pay scale is greatly mixed, meaning that workers on the low end may earn only $49K while workers on the upper end may rake in up to $94K. Also paying near the top of the field are St. Paul's Travelers at $75K, Molina Healthcare, Inc. at $72K, and OptumHealth, Inc., where Nurse Case Managers annually earn $72K.

The lowest salaries can be found at Home Health and Hospice Care — median pay is $53K — and there is little variation in compensation, with paychecks starting at $41K and only reaching $67K. Employees at Humana, Inc., V.A. Medical Center, and Cigna Corporation can also expect below-average earnings of $66K, $68K, and $68K.

Popular Skills for Nurse Case Manager

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Nurse Case Managers seem to exploit a large range of skills on the job. Most notably, skills in Dialysis, Utilization Review, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Emergency Room (ER) are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that seem to negatively impact pay include Psychiatric, Hospice, and Home Health/Home Care. Most people who know Acute Care also know Utilization Review (UR) and Home Health/Home Care.

Pay by Experience Level for Nurse Case Manager

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

For many Nurse Case Managers, extensive experience does not lead to significantly more money. Workers in their first five years can expect to earn $61K, but people who have been around for five to 10 years earn a noticeably bigger sum of $65K. People with 10 to 20 years of experience make an average of about $70K in this role. Individuals who report more than two decades of experience seem to make about the same as folks in the 10-to-20 year range.

Pay Difference by Location

Home to some of the best pay for Nurse Case Managers, New York offers exceptional salaries, 24 percent above the national average. Nurse Case Managers can also look forward to large paychecks in cities like Boston (+20 percent), Los Angeles (+18 percent), Phoenix (+12 percent), and Denver (+8 percent). Milwaukee is home to the smallest salaries in the field, lagging the national average by 8 percent. Indianapolis and Columbus are a couple other places where companies are known to pay below the median — salaries are 7 percent lower and 5 percent lower, respectively.

Nurse Case Manager Reviews

What is it like working as a Nurse Case Manager?

Nurse Case Manager in North Carolina:

"Overall great position."

Pros: Love the culture and clients in the clinic. Good works are done daily. Feel that my role makes a positive difference for the company as well as the clients. Open communication with immediate supervisor provides for honest discussions and planning. Low stress level due to constant planning and adjusting the plan when needed.

Cons: Feel pay level is below average for level of responsibility. Improvements needed with communication/action from upper management.